Behind Closed Doors
by demiurgic
Summary: Sakura's parents went away on a trip, and Sasuke took her in for a few weeks. Sasuke's always having hallucinations, and Sakura soon finds out, there's also more to it than that. SasuxSaku, wow, that's original... Language.
1. Horrible Habits of Mine

Okay, okay, I decided that I would write something having to do with Sasuke and Sakura actually getting together, instead of Sasuke being evil and wanting Sakura dead, or worse... He he… Oh, right, and Sasuke's brother comes in later on.

Evilness…

Anyways! Enjoy! This one isn't going to be long.

Key:

"''" Talking and quoting

**1234567890987654321**… Memory/Scene Change

_Writing like this_ Thoughts

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He had grown to a handsome teenager. His parents had raised him well… Too bad they weren't alive to acknowledge it.

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"It this… Could it be…"

He looked at his hands.

_Oh no, _he thought as he shook in fear. _No! God! Please, no!_

"That's correct," A deep, familiar voice said to him.

Immediately, he looked up to see his brother speaking. He continued.

"This is our house," He said.

"Father! Mother!" He yelled out.

His brother suddenly appeared behind his parents, who were sitting on the floor, apparently oblivious to the danger behind them.

"You are weak," His brother's voice said from behind him.

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"I am not weak," Sasuke growled, covering his ears. "I am not weak, and you know it. Don't say that!"

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"For the next 24 hours…" Itachi started.

"Stop…" Sasuke interrupted him, paralyzed with fear.

The Itachi that had appeared behind his parents raised his Katana.

"… You will wander hopelessly within that day," Itachi finished, smiling as he glared at his younger brother.

_No, _Sasuke screamed in his head. _NO!_

"STOP!" Sasuke screamed as his parent's blood splattered against the floor.

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"No!" Sasuke accidentally yelled out. "No," He repeated, more quietly.

"Sasuke?" A soft voice said from the other side of his door. "Are you okay in there?"

"Oh, uh, yeah. Sorry, Sakura," Sasuke said. "I, um, dropped something."

"Oh, okay, are you sure you're okay?" She asked, starting to turn the door handle.

"Wait, Sakura, don't come in! I'm, ah, not dressed," Sasuke quickly stood up and took off his shirt just in case she came in. "I'm fine. I'll be out shortly, okay?"

"O-Okay," He heard Sakura walk away.

_That was too close,_ Sasuke thought, putting his shirt back on.

The blood splattered in front of his eyes again, and he covered his ears, trying to block out his brother's voice.

"Stop," Sasuke whispered. "Please, just, stop…"

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"You are not even worth killing," Itachi said. "Foolish little brother… If you wish to kill me, hate me, detest me and survive in an unsightly way. Run. Run and cling to life."

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"I have… I've hated you, detested you… Then why is it I can't kill you whenever I meet you?" Sasuke whispered.

He angrily wiped away a stray tear from the corner of his eye. Why couldn't he control even that?

_I'm so **stupid!** Why am I so idiotic? Why can't I just be smart for once? Idiot! Stupid! Moron, dolt, imbecile, twit, ignoramus!_ Sasuke yelled at himself. _I trained for so long, and my stupidity hasn't let any of it take effect! Why… Why do I have to be so stupid… Why…?_

Sasuke walked into his bathroom, checking his face for any sign of emotion, as he usually did. It was habit, and when he caught himself doing it, he hated himself for it.

He walked out of his room and walked downstairs where Sakura was waiting for him with his lunch.

"Oh, Sakura, you didn't have to do this," Sasuke smiled inside. She really was a sweet person. The smiled was filtered on the outside though, and he kept his cool, indifferent exterior the same. "Really, you didn't."

"Well, you know, since I'm staying with you for awhile, I thought I might as well as show my appreciation to you for taking me in," Sakura smiled sweetly and gestured towards the table. "Sit! I'm going to go back to cleaning."

"Cl-cleaning?" Sasuke almost choked on the word. "Sakura! Really! You seriously don't have to do this! You're not a burden on me! I took you in because I wanted to, not because the Hokage made me."

Sakura blushed a little.

"Sakura, in all reality, it should be me doing this, not you," Sasuke said.

_This is the most emotion Sasuke's let me see in a long time,_ Sakura thought.

"Um," Sasuke realized the same thing, immediately switching to his old self. "Sakura, you go relax. I'll do it."

"B-but…" Sakura started.

"Go relax, Sakura! I don't need you cleaning my house!" Sasuke demanded, louder than he meant.

"'Kay," Sakura looked at the ground as she walked towards her room. She was hoping Sasuke might open up to her if she did something nice. She was so put down by him yelling at her, even her hair hung more loosely than it usually did.

_Dammit,_ Sasuke scolded himself. _Why'd I have to go and do that? Dammit, Sasuke! There she was, talking nicely, and you scared her off by being an asshole._

Sasuke slammed his hand on the table, making the dish fall to the ground and smash, destroying Sakura's handiwork.

"Shit," Sasuke yelled out in frustration.

Sasuke walked to Sakura's room silently… Too silently, it seemed.

As Sasuke approached Sakura's door, he heard her crying, and whispering, "Why Sasuke? I was so nice to you! Why can't you just open up?" She sniffed. "Sasuke! Why are you such a jerk?" He heard her hit something with his pillow. "Just… Why…?"

Sasuke stood for a couple for minutes, frozen from what she said. He heard her say nothing more, so he walked to his room, feeling resentful towards himself, and, for some reason, towards her.

_She called me a jerk! Me! I don't think I've ever heard her say anything like that before… _Sasuke thought. _Yes, _a voice said. _You've never **heard** her say anything like that before. She's probably always talking about you behind your back._

Sasuke nodded, agreeing with the voice.

He sat on his bed, and immediately took up his familiar pose. He shut his eyes tight and covered his ears, pulling his legs up to his chest and leaned against the wall.

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BOOM!

Sasuke ran outside, almost slipping and falling on the slick wooden floor. He came to a door, and stopped immediately.

Something moved past the door.

_Someone's in there._

The air seemed to be resisting his lungs as he tried to draw it in.

_Oh God… Move… _He closed his eyes, willing courage to take hold of his hand and push the door open. _Move… Move!_ Finally, he felt his hand touch the cold, wood handle on the door.

He slowly pushed them open, seeing a square of light on the floor… And…

"Father! Mother!" They were lying in the square of light, motionless.

_No! _Sasuke thought, as he saw familiar shoes come out from the shadows. His mind told him that it wasn't who he thought it was. _It has to be someone else…_

He backed up, but when the man turned towards him, he relaxed… Somewhat.

"Brother!" Sasuke cried out. "Brother, Father and Mother were… Why? Why… Who did this?"

Sasuke stopped talking as soon as he felt a sharp pain in his left shoulder.

"Brother, what are you…" Sasuke began. "What are you doing, Brother?"

"Foolish little brother," Itachi said to him, glaring with an indifferent expression. "Mangekyou Sharingan!"

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Sasuke opened his eyes, glaring at the floor. He couldn't remember much after that. All he could see was blood and bodies. The sky was red, and all the colours were opposite.

He skipped to a different part.

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Sasuke screamed as he dropped to his knees, horrified by what he just saw. He covered his ears, digging his nails into the side of his head, grasping his hair tightly.

_Oh… God… Why? _He asked as he fell onto his stomach. His eyes were open, but he couldn't see anything. Everything was black, and the smell of fresh blood filled his nostrils.

Finally, his vision came back, and he saw his parents, lying in a patch of moonlight. The horror hit him once more, like a thousand ton weight.

"Why… Why did you…?" Sasuke asked, too weak to finish his sentence.

"To see what I was capable of," Was the short and simple reply Sasuke got.

"What you were capable of?" Sasuke repeated, not believing what he just heard. "That was it? You killed everyone for that reason?"

"It was important," Itachi replied, sounding calm as though him and Sasuke were just having a little, friendly chat.

"What the hell…" Sasuke said, slowly getting up. He suddenly got a powerful urge and he ran towards his brother, yelling out, "Don't screw around!"

Itachi punched Sasuke in the stomach, and chuckled softly as he fell to the ground.

_Damn, _Sasuke thought as he looked up into his Father's dead face. His eyes filled with tears and his throat burned. He just wanted to sit there and cry. Cry until the days stopped coming for him, and the nights stopped comforting him.

But he couldn't, he was reminded, when Itachi's foot stomped down in front of his face.

_I'm scared…_

"I'm scared!" He yelled as he stood up and ran.

Sasuke ran out the door. He screamed as he ran back through the house, trying to get away from his maniac older Brother.

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_Why? _Sasuke thought. _Why did you actually do that? I'd like to believe that someone forced you into doing it, or that you were framed at least… But… I can't…_

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Sasuke ran through the streets of his clans community, dodging all of the bodies and blood. He couldn't help the tears running down his cheeks as he looked at all the familiar people, lying scattered on the ground.

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_Why? _Sasuke thought. _Why? I was only seven!_

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He was finding it hard to breath. Yes, he had cried before, but not when he was running. Fear was twisting, turning and knotting his insides._ What if Itachi comes out and kills me right now? I'm less skilled than him! How will I defend myself when the people of my clan couldn't defend themselves against one person?_

"Don't kill me!" Sasuke howled. He heard a footstep in front of him.

He stopped, looking for an alternate route from his brother, who now stood in front of him. Remembering what his sensei told him, he took on a defensive stance.

"Don't kill me," Sasuke pleaded.

"You are not even worth killing," Itachi informed him. "Foolish little brother, If you wish to kill me, hate me, detest me, and survive in an unsightly way. Run. Run and cling pathetically to life."

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Sasuke glared at his hands. He knew that he was torturing himself. But he couldn't help it.

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"Dad and Mom didn't have to die… The entire clan was killed because I didn't have enough power," Sasuke glared as he saw himself in front of himself. _Idiot,_ he thought as he looked on.

"Everyone was killed…" The other Sasuke continued.

He couldn't take it any longer.

SHVING!

The kunai stuck into the ground right where the other Sasuke was standing, crying to himself.

"Damn it," Sasuke said. The familiar pain in his throat built up again, and he laid on his back to think for a while.

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Sasuke echoed this memory. He laid down on his bed, closing his eyes.

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A bird flew in circles over Sasuke's head and he sat up. "Kakashi?" He asked aloud. "What does he want?"

He ran towards where he knew Kakashi would be.

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_What was it that you wanted, Kakashi?_ Sasuke wondered.

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"Kakashi?" Sasuke asked, approaching his sensei. Asuma-sensei and Kurenai-sensei were standing there, too. "It's unusual for you to be here first."

"I do it from time to time," Kakashi replied, not looking at his student, but instead looking behind his own back.

Sasuke looked where he was looking, but saw nothing in the shop but a vacant table and two cups.

"I don't like natto and sweets," Sasuke said, looking at his sensei.

"Oh, really?" Kakashi asked.

Kakashi turned towards Asuma and Kurenai, and they both nodded then disappeared.

Sasuke scowled. What was going on?

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_Oh, man, _Sasuke thought as he looked at his alarm clock. I should go apologize to Sakura.

He stood up slowly, feeling the blood rush to and from his brain immediately. He stood still for a moment to let the head rush pass.

He opened his door, taking note on how dark it had gotten.

He walked to her door and knocked softly. The door slowly opened, but Sakura wasn't in the room.

"Sakura?" Sasuke called out softly. "Sakura, where are you?" He walked out of the room and went to the kitchen, then the sitting room, and finally out into the warm summer evening. "Sakura!" He yelled out into the still night.

Sasuke ran back inside, and saw something that wasn't there before. A note.

Sasuke sighed when he saw it was in Sakura's writing, but it concerned it slightly when he saw what it said.

_'Dear Sasuke_

_I'm sorry that I upset you, please forgive me…'_

"Sakura, you're supposed to forgive me," Sasuke shook is head, but read on.

_'I went out for a walk, and I don't know when I'll be home. Don't wait for me, I can take care of myself._

_Sakura'_

"'Don't wait for me…'" Sasuke repeated. "'I can take care of myself.' What do you mean Sakura?"

Sasuke folded the note reluctantly and put it in his pocket. Something seemed a little fishy, but he could have been wrong, it happened from time to time, whether he like to admit it or not.

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Sasuke opened his eyes. His room was dark, except for the moonlight flowing through his window. Half of the moonlight was blocked by someone standing in front of the window. Whomever it was, was turned away from Sasuke and whispering something.

"How am I going to do this? I can't do it now, to soon, but what about tomorrow? No, not tomorrow, because of what I did today they'd suspect something before I even started. What about the next night? I'll have to wait until he's late, then I can do it… I'll have to wait…"

"Brother?" Sasuke asked groggily. He rubbed his eyes and looked up again. Itachi had become immobile, still staring out his window. "What are you doing in here?"

"It's best to see the moon from your room. It helps me think, go back to sleep," Itachi said, still not turning around.

"But, Brother!" Sasuke said, crawling over to his brother. "What were you talking about? What are you going to do? Why're you going to have to wait? Wait for who to be late? Can I help you with what you're doing? What is it?"

Itachi spun around. "Little Brother, you are annoying," Sasuke saw the familiar Sharingan, but, but… This time, it was different. "I said go back to sleep!"

All Sasuke remembered after that was the room spinning, and darkness engulfing him.

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Sasuke regretted talking to his Brother that night. _If only I had shut up and listened to what he was saying. He didn't know that I was awake until I asked him. If I had just listened, then maybe Father and Mother would be alive, _Sasuke thought as he walked back out the door. _Sakura, I don't care what you say, I'm coming to find you._

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Some scenes I got straight from the episodes, but the last one I made up, and also some things that Sasuke thinks in the scenes obviously I made up. Hey! They suited the scene!

Review please! If I did or didn't do something that offended you, please, **don't** let me know!


	2. Stop

Sorry, school's slowing me down! Whew!

Key:

"''" Talking and quoting.

**1234567890987654321**… Memory/Scene Change.

_Writing like this_ Thoughts, unless in "", then it's just emotion.

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Sasuke opened the entrance gate to the Uchiha mansion and walked down the nearly deserted path to the village.

As he walked, he wondered where she could have gone. Possibly to go hang out with Ino?

Sasuke stopped walking.

Ino…

Why did Sakura stay with him if he could have stayed with Ino? After all, he was so much further away from Sakura's house than Ino was.

He started walking again.

The evening sky was clear and windless, making it warmer. The sun was just starting to go down, and the whole village was bathed in a warm orange glow.

"I wonder if anyone knows where she could have gone to?" Sasuke asked himself out loud.

Finally, he arrived at the center of the village. First he walked to Ino house.

"No, I haven't seen her for three days," Ino said after Sasuke had asked her. "Sorry."

"That's alright," Sasuke said. Before he turned away, he said, "Look, if you see her by chance, tell her I'm looking for her."

"Sure," Ino said, shrugging.

"Okay, have a good summer, Ino," Sasuke waved as he walked back down her path.

_Maybe she's with Hinata, they're pretty good friends now, _Sasuke thought. H changed his course and walked towards the Hyuuga residence.

Knocking on the huge gate that could compare with the Uchiha's, Sasuke thought maybe this was a bad idea.

Hanabi opened the gate a crack and glared at Sasuke, asking, "What do **you** want?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, thinking, _what a little bitch! God, it's no wonder Hinata has such low self esteem, I can tell her little sister gets more attention than she does._

"Can I talk to Hyuuga, Hinata please?" Sasuke asked, as politely as he could.

Hanabi didn't even answer. She slammed the gate, and Sasuke heard faintly, "Hinata, some person's here to see you. I think it's your boyfriend!"

Sasuke slapped his hand on his forehead. _Stupid!_

He waited for a couple more minutes and soon the gate opened, and as soon as Hinata saw Sasuke, she squeaked quietly and dropped the heavy gate.

"S-sorry," Hinata stuttered, opening the gate again. "Um, U… Uchiha, S-Sasuke! Wh-what…"

"Um, Hinata, I was just wondering, do you know where Sakura could possibly be?"

"N-no," Hinata said, looking down at her feet, her face visibly red. She quickly looked behind her back, apparently looking at something or someone Sasuke couldn't see. "I-I haven't seen her for a-at least a m-month now, I t-think. W-why?"

Ignoring Hinata's strange behavior, Sasuke continued talking.

"Er," Talking to Hinata made Sasuke even more nervous than he usually was. "Well, see, she left me this note, and I was just wondering if you have any clue where she could have gone," He handed Hinata the folded up note.

She unfolded it carefully and read through it. "Um, she said not to come looking for her," Hinata looked up at Sasuke then glanced behind her. "You sure y-you want to go against w-what she said n-not to do?"

"Well, something seems fishy about the letter," Sasuke put his hand on the gate. "I don't know what, but I think something's going on."

"Oh, okay," Hinata smiled. "I've got to get back. Good luck with finding her! 'Bye Sasuke, see you later!"

"Okay, um, thanks Hinata," Sasuke said as he turned away.

_I have no clue where else to look, _Sasuke thought. _I think I'll head back. Hinata's right, if she doesn't want me to go looking for her I guess I won't… Doesn't stop me from worrying though…_

He sighed as he walked back up the path to his house.

_This reminds me of when… That… Happened…_

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_I've stayed out for a while, _Sasuke thought as he ran back to his house.

He gasped. _Why is it so cold all of the sudden?_ He stopped running. _What…?_ He looked up towards the top of a .

_What was that? I thought someone was there…_

Looking around quickly, he realized something…

_The lights are out… It's not time to sleep yet._

Sasuke started running back to is house… Did he miss something? Did his Father say something about some sort of meeting tonight?

_This is… _Sasuke thought as he stopped running.

It was so real, it was almost fake. Kunai and shuriken were stuck into the wall. Lanterns, banners, flags and windows were broken. Blood was splattered on the walls and ground… But the worst part… Bodies were scattered over the ground… Lying in unnatural positions…

"What is this?"Sasuke said, thinking frantically.

He started running down the path, trying not to look at the bodies lying all around him.

"What's going on?" Sasuke thought as he continued running. _Some sort of illusion? Maybe a trick?_

Sasuke slowly came to a halt in front of a woman and a man he had talked to just this morning.

He slowly walked up to them…

"Shizu… Auntie Shizu…" He whispered, horrified.

Sasuke suddenly looked up, towards his house.

"Father… Mother…"

He took off towards his house, looking around… _No… _He thought, as he heard no noise issuing from his house…

"Father? Mother?" He called out as soon as he entered.

"Are you here?" He quickly took off his shoes, and then his bag, placing it gently on the ground.

He walked around, looking first in the living room, he then practically ran to the sitting room. No one was there either…

BOOM!

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_I just hope it's not the same scenario, _Sasuke thought, shaking the thought from his mind. He pushed the gate open… Blood was everywhere.

"No," Sasuke whispered. He rubbed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the blood was gone. "Imagination…" Sasuke muttered. "Thank you, God…"

He walked back towards the mansion, heart slowly going back to its original rate. He rolled the door back and saw Sakura's shoes. _Well, at least she's back,_ he thought. _I should go talk to her._

He knocked on her door softly, and Sakura answered, looking down. She gestured for Sasuke to enter, and as soon as he did, he started talking.

"Sakura, listen, I'm grateful for what you've done for me, really, cooking and cleaning, and I didn't mean to snap at you, I didn't… I just had a lot on my mind," He turned towards her, and found her sitting on the bed. "Sakura?"

She nodded ever so slightly to indicate that she was listening.

"Well, I'm truly sorry, and if there's anything that I could do to make it up to you…"

"There isn't. Please leave," Sakura said.

Sasuke walked slowly out the door, thinking that whatever it was he said obviously upset her more than he ever planned.

Sasuke walked towards his own room, and he opened the door to his bathroom, planning on having a hot shower to think things over.

He removed his clothes in front of a half mirror, checking the new cuts and scars he had received from the latest mission Tsunade-sama had assigned him.

He was completely naked. He liked having clothes on better than being naked. Maybe it was just the way he was raised. Some people he knew were so open about themselves (-Cough-Naruto-Cough-) but Sasuke hated the way his body was. It was… No… Looked so weak, like someone could snap him in two easily.

He turned away from the mirror and reached for the tap on the shower. He stuck his hand under the water and counted: 8… 7… 6… 5… 4… 3… 2… 1… There, perfect. It was habit.

He got in and let the water run on his face for a couple of minutes before washing his hair.

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"Brother," Sasuke said as he entered the mud room. "Can you help me out with my shuriken training today after school?"

"I'm busy," Came the reply. "Ask Father."

"But he said that you're better with shurikens," Sasuke pouted. "And I think that, too. You always treat me like I'm a nuisance, Brother."

Itachi turned around and waved his hand as if telling Sasuke to go away. Sasuke ran towards Itachi, planning to jump on his back and not let go until he promised to help him.

Itachi shifted slightly and raised two fingers.

Sasuke knew what that meant instantly.

_Nooo!_ Sasuke thought as he reversed his direction immediately.

"Ouch," Sasuke let slip as Itachi's fingers came in contact with his forehead, hard and direct.

"Forgive me Sasuke," Itachi said in a voice that didn't sound like his normal one. "Maybe another time."

Sasuke growled a little, but stopped when he looked at his Brother's eyes. He looked almost possessed as he glared at the floorboards.

Itachi stood up abruptly, almost making Sasuke jump.

"I have no time to help you out today," Itachi said, his back to his younger Brother.

Sasuke rubbed his forehead while saying: "You always say, 'Forgive me, Sasuke,' and hit my forehead, and you don't ever help me out, not just today."

Itachi ignored him. He walked towards the door and opened it, letting bright, mid-afternoon sunlight pore into the dark mud room.

Sasuke watched as Itachi walked out and slowly closed the door behind him. He watched with a small smile on his face.

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"Why'd I smile?" Sasuke asked himself out loud. He said this a little louder than he meant. "Why'd I smile and let him escape? He knew. He knew. His eyes showed it, and I… I didn't realize… Idiot… He knew when I was in the mud room talking to him. I think he already had the Mangekyo Sharingan by that time, too."

As Sasuke reached up to rinse the shampoo from his hair (which felt weird being loose from its normal 'just-got-out-of-bed' position) he heard a knock on the bathroom door.

Quickly turning the shower off, he grabbed the nearest towel and went to open the door while looking to see if anything was showing that he generally didn't display to the public. The door handle wasn't there.

Sasuke got out of the shower when he noticed the door open.

"Sakura?" Sasuke asked as he looked around the corner of the shower. Sakura was standing in the corner, glaring at him and biting her nail. "Sakura… What's the matter?"

"I hate you…" Sakura said. "I hate you."

"S-Sakura… Wha…?" Sasuke couldn't believe she was saying this. To him!

"I hate you so much," She muttered. "I hate you because you can't open up to me. I hate you because I can't open up to you."

"You could open up to me," Sasuke said. _Why is she acting like this?_ "You can tell me anything."

"I can't tell you **_anything_** until **_you_** open up to **_me!_**" Sakura yelled. "I can't _say_ **_anything_** because **_you_** won't **_listen!_**"

"Sa-Sakura…" Sasuke whispered.

"You just need to talk to _yourself_, is that it? I'm not_ worthy_ enough to hear _your_ stories?_ **I**_ have stories **_too_**, you know," Sakura breathed in deeply, tears welling up in her eyes. "I'd like for you to actually talk **_to_** me, and not just **_at_** me."

"Sakura… I would… But… I didn't…"

"Didn't _know_? You didn't _know_ for the last **_16_** years of your fucking **_life_** that you could actually _talk_ to me and _tell_ me about _yourself_ instead of about your fucking _mask_?" Sakura breathed out hard, shaping the sound like a laugh, slapping her hand on her leg in sheer frustration as she rolled her eyes.

"So… So, you heard me?" Sasuke asked her, his eyes widening.

"Every single _fucking_ time, Sasuke," Sakura hissed. "I can hear a lot of things, and it would be _nice_ to know that you trust _me_ more than the fucking darkness. I have better ears than the dark and silence."

The tears in Sakura's eyes finally won the battle against her eyelashes. The started poring down her cheeks in silent sorrow and Sasuke reached forwards immediately and held her. He didn't know how to comfort a girl, or another human being, as a matter of fact, but he had a puppy once and holding her seemed to make a difference.

"S-Sa-Sasuke…" Sakura choked. He felt her shift in his arms as she withdrew something from her back pocket. "Sasuke… I r-r-received th-this a w-while ag-ago…"

She handed him a letter. He opened it and scanned the first two lines. His eyes widened and he looked at Sakura, mind filled with shock. "Sakura… Does this…"

"Yes," She leaned back onto his chest. "My parents died three nights ago."

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Oh, a shocker. Poor Sakura, but I had to make something to happen in her life that would make her pissed off at Sasuke for no reason. Sorry!

**INFO: **Sasuke not liking his body doesn't mean he's gay and he has a female hormone in his body. Some teenage guys actually hate their bodies as much, or even more, as/than most teenage females do, whether it's because of the media or just teenage hormones.

Review please! If I did, or didn't do something that could have possibly offended you in the slightest way at all, please, don't let me know!


	3. Hallucinations

Special thanks to Psycho rabbit kunoichi and SasuSaku453 for the reviews! I am so very sorry to hear that SasuSaku453, my deepest regards.

This one is fast-paced and moving forward with leaps and bounds!

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Sasuke looked at Sakura with shock written in every line on his face. _Her parents had died?_

"I feel…" Sakura said, grasping Sasuke arms for support as she sobbed on his chest. "I feel… dead…"

"Sakura… I'm here… I know… I know…" Sasuke said, hugging Sakura tightly as though if he were to let go, she'd fall. "It's okay."

Sakura fell to her knees and hugged her sides.

"Sakura," Sasuke said, kneeling down. He looked at her eyes and they showed the same kind of pain that was in his eyes at his parent's death. Even today, looking deep into his eyes, one might be able to notice the pain and horror his brother had set upon him. "I-I need to get changed."

Sakura looked up. That statement wasn't what she was expecting… Maybe it was, though… Well, from Sasuke at least.

He led her to the folded up futon in his room and quickly changed into his bathrobe. It would have to do. It was better than wearing a towel.

He sat beside Sakura again and Sakura immediately clung to Sasuke as though he were a magnet.

He hugged her close again, and she didn't stop crying for at least half an hour.

"I di-didn't g-get t-to s-say g-g-goodbye…" Sakura choked into Sasuke's robe. "I d-didn't tell them how much… How much…"

"You loved them?" Sasuke said. He could feel her pain too, as though **_it _**had happened all over again. "Couldn't tell them what happened today and show them what you learned?"

Sakura nodded.

"I know, Sakura," Sasuke said squeezing her gently.

She gasped. "I forgot," She choked a little. "I forgot, I'm sorry, Sasuke. I'm sorry, I forgot about… About your…"

"Don't worry about it," Sasuke said. "It's not me we need to worry about. Are you a little better now?"

"Mmhmm," She hummed into his robe. "I'm tired."

"I am too," Sasuke stifled a yawn. How late was it? He looked up at the clock over his door. "It's 12…"

Sakura was breathing particularly heavy.

_She's asleep,_ Sasuke stood up, but the sleeping Sakura grabbed his robe and held him beside her. _Poor girl, now she's going to be clinging onto anything she had get ahold of… Literally._

Sasuke laid beside her on the folded up futon and looked at her face as she slept. He hadn't seen this before. Not that he really took notice. But he knew that that small frown line between her eyebrows wouldn't be going away for a **_long_** time. He knew from personal experience.

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Sasuke opened his eyes at the quiet chirping of birds outside his window. He moved his head around and checked the clock. 6:32 AM and counting. The room was filled with sunlight already and it was going to be a scorching hot day, he could tell.

Sasuke went to stand up, but noticed the hands holding him down. _Looks like she hasn't moved all night, _Sasuke thought as he looked at his sleeping companion.

He slowly and carefully unhooked her hands from his robe and he stood up, stretching and breathing deep.

"Sa… Su… Ke…?" Sakura's voice asked groggily. She opened her eyes slowly.

"Sakura, go back to sleep, I'll make breakfast, okay?" Sasuke walked over to Sakura and on a last second decision… Kissed her. He kissed her just on her forehead, but he kissed her, nevertheless.

She smiled and closed her eyes again.

Sasuke walked from the room, feeling light headed. It was almost as if it wasn't him back there… He felt embarrassed. _Why did I do that? Why? Oh God, that was stupid, Sakura probably thinks_ _I'm a moron now… _He remembered her smile. _Oh, what the hell… She deserved it…_

He walked into his kitchen and looked around for some special things to make for breakfast. He dug through his cupboard and found a box of something that had curly writing on it. He couldn't read it because it was in English, but he knew that it was imported. He checked the expiry date.

"Still good… Hmm… Let's see… 'Expires June 2016…' Wow. 'When box is still closed…' Hmm, okay. 'If box is open, expires November 2008.' So 3 more months then," Sasuke nodded in a satisfied way and put it on the counter. "Luckily there was Japanese on it," He nodded at his own statement.

"Well, then, let's see what this is then," Sasuke said. He tore open the box and found freeze-dried food. Making a face at the food, Sasuke immediately threw it all in the garbage. Anything that was freeze-dried usually had preservatives in it. Anything that was freeze-dried and could last for 9 years in a box obviously caused cancer.

"Damn, I don't think I have anything else," Sasuke sat down at the table. Maybe making breakfast wasn't his thing. He laid his head on his arms, staring at the wall. He sighed.

The room went black… Sasuke felt his body come in contact with cold floor…

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"Foolish little brother, if you wish to kill me, hate me, detest me, and survive in an unsightly way. Run. Run and cling to life." Itachi's eyes appeared before Sasuke.

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"Don't kill me!" He had stopped in the middle of the street, staring, terrified, at his brother.

"You're not even worth killing."

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He glared at his brother, the sound of a thousand birds in his ears. His hand was burning under the combined force of Chidori and his brother grasping his wrist.

The birds died away. A large hole in the wall showed the true force of his Jutsu.

Sasuke grimaced as he felt the grip of his brother's hand get stronger. Itachi turned as Naruto made a sudden move.

_Don't interfere!_ Sasuke thought frantically.

"His Chakra is filling up the space," The slimy looking gray creature beside Itachi growled. "I see, this is the Nine-Tails' Chakra."

Sasuke raised his hand in preparation of hitting his older brother. "Why you…"

"You're a bother," Itachi hissed, his grip becoming overpowering. Sasuke screamed as he felt the bones in his left wrist disconnect and become lodged in his muscle and flesh.

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Sasuke screamed as he felt the pain shoot through his arm. He unconsciously kicked the table, tipping it over and creating a loud crash.

"No! Get away!" Sasuke screamed. "G…No… N…" He thrashed all over the floor, seeing the familiar combination of Sharingan and his dead parents. His eyes were rolling madly in his head as he kicked at invisible people.

His eyes were flashing, going from red to black, as though there were a strobe light in his eyes.

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Sasuke stood up slowly.

"The one who's going to kill him," Sasuke said, ignoring the pain in his arm. "Is me!"

He could see Itachi glaring at him, slightly amused. It scared him. He was breathing heavily, concentrating on his breathing and not the pain he felt all over his body.

"I have no interest in you right now," Itachi whispered angrily.

Sasuke could feel the frustration in his stomach climb up his throat and out his mouth as he ran towards his brother, curling his fists tightly.

"Shut up!" He yelled. Itachi's foot came out of nowhere and hit him in his stomach, sending him flying towards the end of the hall.

"Sasuke!" He heard his name being shouted by Naruto.

He could see black creeping into his vision. _No! I mustn't lose consciousness! I must kill my brother! I have to! This could be my only chance!_

"Damn it!" He heard Naruto running down the hall towards him. But he stopped when Sasuke yelled, "Naruto, I told you not to interfere!"

"I told you before," Sasuke used the wall behind him to help him stand up. "I've lived up until now… For this moment… For this day!" With his Sharingan activated, Sasuke felt a little stronger.

He ran towards his brother, sounding very much like a jet warming up.

He threw his fist forwards, but Itachi effortlessly pushed it aside. He smiled a little before punching Sasuke again. Sasuke could feel himself go flying backwards once again, smashing into the wall, coughing up blood. Once again, the dark was threatening to take him.

He fought it, sitting up slightly, he muttered, "I'm not through yet."

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"Fuck!" Sasuke screamed, thrashing himself around. He could see the hall… The hole in the wall… His brother and the strange creature that accompanied him… Naruto… The frog and Jiraiya…

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"This is my battle…"

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Something cold came in contact with Sasuke's overheating forehead. He panicked and pushed whatever it was off, and tried to move away from whoever or whatever it was.

"Sasuke," A voice. A girl's voice... Who was it? What was going on? Where was he? Why was it black?

Sasuke opened his eyes. Someone was in front of him. His eyes widened in fear and he opened his mouth in a silent scream. In his hallucination, it looked like Itachi.

As soon as his eyes opened, Sakura could see it. Terror. She generally saw it in the kid's eyes at the hospital when they came in. Sasuke looked absolutely terrified, horrified, fearful, frightened… Sakura had never seen these emotions from Sasuke before… Ever.

"Sasuke," She said more firmly. "Sasuke, listen to my voice. It's okay."

She had to act like he was one of her young patients. He had just had a hallucination, and 'no matter what the age, condition or maturity, the patient should always be treated as gently as a child.' Sakura remembered back to what Tsunade-sama had told her.

"Sasuke, listen to what I'm saying," Sakura said, practically purring.

Sasuke stopped thrashing about and sat still, his back against the upturned table. He heard such kind words. His mind calmed down a bit when he looked into the girl's face. A _girl's_ face. Not Itachi's.

"Wha…?" She came over and covered his mouth.

"Don't talk," Sakura pushed him down so he was lying down. "Stay still. Okay?"

Sasuke nodded. He started remembering what was going on.

Sakura stood up and grabbed the nearest tea towel. She got it damp with cold water and rushed back and placed it on Sasuke's forehead.

Sasuke felt the coolness of the cloth on his pounding head. He closed his eyes and groaned slightly.

"Sasuke, no, Sasuke, open your eyes, stay with me," Sakura said, hitting her hand on the floor, trying to get his attention.

Sasuke opened his eyes again. "You're a medic-nin… I forgot… I'm glad…"

"Yes, Sasuke, keep your eyes open, just concentrate on my voice," Sakura said. She needed him to calm down completely then she could get him over to the couch or make him drink a glass of water.

Finally, Sasuke stopped shaking and Sakura immediately made him sit. She helped him drink some water, kneeling in front of him, tipping the glass a little.

"Thanks. I'm sorry for waking you… I was trying to make breakfast… I don't really know what happened next…" He gabbled.

"It's okay, I was going to get up anyways," Sakura said, looking deep into Sasuke's eyes, looking for any sign of anything.

Sasuke blinked and looked away, noticing Sakura staring at him like she used to. She was looking in his eyes. He always felt uncomfortable when a person stared at him in any way. _Especially_ in his eyes.

Sakura took his jaw in her hand and turned his face towards his. His stomach jumped for some reason when he saw how close she was. Maybe what Naruto had said to him before was true. Maybe deep, deep within his being, he actually did feel something for Sakura.

He leaned forwards. Her eyes were more hypnotizing than Sharingan…

Their lips connected. Sakura's eyes stayed open for a fraction of a second in shock, but Sasuke leaned harder on her, urging her to kiss back.

She did after a while. At first it was just lips, but it slowly transformed into tongues dueling to the death.

Sasuke leaned forwards and ran his hands down her waist to her buttocks. He squeezed then picked her up with ease, placing her on his lap. She gasped when he did, but gladly took the position, straddling his legs.

She shook her head slightly and disconnected from Sasuke, a string of saliva staying between them. They were both breathing hard, and Sasuke's hair was an utter mess. That was either sleep or what had just happened. By _accident_, of course.

"So, I, um," Sakura said, getting off Sasuke to sit beside him. "I guess you're okay, then?"

"Not without you," Sasuke leaned back towards her, but she put two fingers on his lips. "Sakura," He said weakly. He was begging. Pleading her. Never had he done that before. They both knew it.

"No, Sasuke, I… I can't," She stood up and opened the nearest window, letting a warm breeze wash over her. She put her hands on the windowsill and leaned forwards. She turned her head slightly, looking at the ground, not Sasuke, and said, "Sasuke, I'm sorry… I don't know what came over me."

"Sakura, that was me," Sasuke reminded her. "I came on to you."

"Oh," Sakura muttered, turning her head back towards the open window. As she looked out, Sasuke looked at her. She was beautiful. Her light pyjamas created a halo around her and her bright pink hair glowed in the sunlight.

Sasuke stood up and walked over to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist, placing his chin on her shoulder gently. He looked outside and sighed deeply.

Sakura leaned her head back onto Sasuke's shoulder. She didn't know what was going on, but whatever it was, she didn't want it to end. It was like one of her dreams.

She had told Ino that she didn't like Sasuke that much anymore, he was 'boring her' as she said, but she knew, somewhere deep within her, she knew that she still cared for Sasuke like she did a long time ago.

"Sasuke?" Sakura asked lazily.

"Mm?" He hummed into her neck.

"Why did you leave?"

"Leave?"

"Yeah, remember?" Sakura rolled her head sideways, her mouth on Sasuke's ear. "When you broke my heart. Orochimaru."

How could he have forgotten?

"Oh," Sasuke cursed in his head. He thought he had lost _that_ memory. It was back and it burned his insides with the dreaded familiar fire of misery and loneliness. He even remembered missing something. Missing _her_. Sakura.

"I missed you," He sat them both down on the nearest chair, sitting Sakura on top of him. She was so light, breakable, but strong. A feather, really. "I missed your scent, your voice… Everything. I wanted to come back so bad, but I couldn't… I was trapped within myself… Within Orochimaru's mind. His soul was tainting mine. I'm free though… I'm back… I'm right here…"

"You're not answering my original question," Sakura said, taking Sasuke's hands in hers and looking at them, intertwined. "I asked _why_ you left, not if you were back."

"Does it matter?" Sasuke did not want to answer that question. He did not even know the answer to that question. "I'm sitting here, not harmed, right here with you… Isn't that all that matters?"

"Sasuke," Sakura stood up and walked to a little ledge on his wall. A small mirror was on it. She picked it up and came back. "Not harmed?"

Sasuke took the mirror and looked, puzzled, up at Sakura.

She positioned the mirror above his neck. "Look."

He looked. He saw three small marks, hardly noticeable to someone who didn't know they were there, but Sasuke saw them as if they were new. It looked like a Sharingan tattooed on his neck. Three small bruises.

"I… I…" Sasuke stuttered. He forgot that too.

"Sasuke," Sakura sighed, pulling a chair in front of Sasuke and sitting in it. "I know you're trying to forget. Let's put it this way," She leaned back in her seat, looking out the window. "Why do you think they teach us Social Studies?"

"Because it's a good class to talk through?" Sasuke smiled.

Sakura laughed. She remembered. "No, not so me, you and Naruto could sit and piss Iruka-sensei off," She smiled weakly. "It's so these things will never happen again. It's so that children will learn the mistakes of others and not repeat them."

Sasuke looked confused.

Sakura sighed. "I'm telling you this because it's bad for you to forget your past. You might repeat what you did."

"I wouldn't," Sasuke shook his head. His eyes widened. She thought he was that stupid? "I wouldn't ever go back to that Hell Orochi…"

"No, I know that," Sakura cut him off mid-sentence. "But you might repeat that same mistake in a different situation."

"I-I… No… No, you're wrong…"

"Am I?" Sakura shook her head slowly. "I know that you were after your brother for revenge, and the next chance you get, you might take it. Good or bad."

"No…"

"Oh, Sasuke," Sakura stood up, and Sasuke followed her motions. "Come here. It's too early to be fighting."

"Debating."

"Whatever," Sakura leaned against a wall. "I feel strange."

"Yeah, this house does that sometimes," Sasuke took Sakura by the waist and led her to the bedroom. She laid down on the bed first, and Sasuke laid behind her, her hair tickling his nose. She smelled sweet. Not the fake smell of perfume. It was _her_. Her scent.

"Sasuke," Sakura mumbled, in a trance like state of almost-asleep.

Sasuke made a sound in his throat to show he was listening.

"Don't ever leave again. Promise?" Sakura took his arm and draped it over her waist.

"Promise," Was Sasuke's sleepy reply.

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I dunno what Sakura did for Sasuke with his hallucination, I just wrote some stuff… I could have asked my mom (who's a nurse) but I was too lazy… Yeah…

Oh, and Sakura starts making out with Sasuke right away because she's in mourning mode, and believe me, some people do weird things when someone close to them dies. Believe me. Believe it.

You have the right to groan.

REVIEW!


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